If You Paint It, They Will Play

On Friday, May 24th students at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy worked together on a large project to brighten up their school’s playground area.When Saucedo’s recess coordinator, Coach Paul, suggested that the school improve recess quality by adding fun designs to the playground blacktop, students in Ms. Korth’s elective art classes stepped up to the plate.Over the course of just a few short weeks, students voted on which blacktop games they wanted to see at their school, and then worked in teams to create their own personalized designs for hopscotch, Four Square, and even a maze.

A select group of students helped lay down tape in the playground to mark all the spots for painting.In the afternoon, 70 sixth and seventh grade students worked together to make sure all the soccer fields, hopscotch boxes, basketball courts, and Four Square blocks were painted in just under 2 hours!Some of the designs were so detailed and colorful that they would have been nearly impossible to finish in one afternoon had these Saucedo students not worked in groups to divide the work and multiply their success.Now that the paint has dried and the tape has been pulled up, Saucedo students are able to enjoy a more structured, organized, and colorful recess!Congrats to Ms. Korth’s 6th and 7th grade classes, and an extra thank you to Saucedo administration, Ms. Korth, and Alysse Engleman from Coach Across America for all your support.